Stupid Crime of the Day: Carjackers Likely to Die After Radioactive Exposure

On Monday, a driver in Mexico transporting the radioactive material cobalt-60 from a medical facility, pulled to the side of the road to take a nap when two gunmen highjacked the truck he was driving. The International Atomic Energy Agency stated: ""At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded. However, the [cobalt-60] could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged."

And...that's exactly what the criminals did; the truck was recently found with the shielding removed and the cobalt-60 fully exposed. Mardino Jimenez, a physicist for Mexico's Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards recently told NBC News, "The person or people who took this out are in very great risk of dying." According to Jimenez, a person usually survives for only 2 to 3 days after exposure to the radioactive material. Fortunately, the cobalt-60 was discovered in an area where no other individuals are at risk of harm from exposure.